Time for Mr. Falafel to scooch back into his pita pocket. These vegan Burmese split pea fritters are easier to make and have the Midas touch of golden turmeric.
Put split peas in a large bowl and and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak overnight.
Drain split peas and put into a food processor or other strong blender.
Add salt and turmeric and blend until the peas are finely ground. Stop occasionally between blitzing to mix up the unblended chunks in the blender.
Remove split pea mixture to a bowl and add the small diced onion.
With slightly dampened hands, shape into balls, about the size of a heaping tablespoon. Flatten slightly so each fritter is about 3/4" thick.
Heat a nonstick pan with 1 Tb oil to medium heat. Pan fry 1/2 the fritters for 2-3 minutes on each side. This recipe makes about 15 patties, so keep adding oil and cook the fritters in batches depending on how large your pan is.
Serve hot, and garnish with lemon wedges and any type of small chopped onion if desired.
Notes
To make this spicy, mix in a finely chopped jalapeno or other fresh chili along with the onion after blending the split peas. Or top with sriracha sauce.
No dipping sauce is needed. However, if you wanted one, they would do well with sweet chili sauce, vegan aioli, or Indian or fruit chutny.
These are best served hot. If you need to make them ahead of time, make the split pea mixture up to 3 days in advance, then pan fry before serving.